Wits remain in the Shield hunt

The victory ensured the Johannesburg students second place, just seven points behind the Impi with a game in hand. However, coach Hugo van As was not a happy man as his side failed to capitalise on their dominance, despite Fort Hare being reduced to 13-men at one stage.

"We knew it would be a tough task to travel to Alice and play at that venue but in essence, it's mission accomplished although we are not totally satisfied with the performance. We started off reasonably well and were able to gain the bonus point by playing some decent rugby.

"However, when they [Fort Hare] were reduced to 13-men in the second half, they were able to slow the game down simply because we allowed them to and that was very frustrating. We felt in control throughout the 80 minutes but we couldn't capitalise properly on the dominance we had," van As told rugby365.com.

Next up for Wits is a home fixture against UWC who are hot on their heels, with just three points separating the sides. According to van As, the next three rounds will determine who will – in all likelihood – be the sides contesting the final on April 4.

"We haven't seen a lot of UWC and the opening round game that was televised was a very scrappy affair, so we haven't picked up a lot on them. We know they have a new coaching staff, with Chester Williams, at the helm and will play an expansive game.

"We will be at home and will have to make sure we manage them in order to control the game.

"Every game is important as we search to be in those Top Two places, so the next three games are going to be vital in determining who those teams are. However, we will not jump the gun and will keep taking it one game at a time.

"We understand and acknowledge that UKZN are setting the pace at the moment and they are playing proper rugby, but we are on our own mission and we know what we want to achieve as a team. We are still in the running for top spot but we are not going to think about," he added.

By Tauriq Ebrahim